Do you buy or tie?

[mdk223]

I buy now but hoping to change that soon. Bought a bunch of equipment... Now for the tying part!

[Eddie O'Neill]

I've been tying my own now for two years. I wished I had started earlier when my eyes were better.

[cjottawa]

I tied years ago but gave my tying gear to a nephew who showed interest.

Since getting back in to the sport, I haven't tied, but suspect I will once winter hits and I'm looking for something to do.

Simple math, assuming you're only tying a few simple patterns made with common material:
Flies from The Fly Stop are about $0.60.
Figure tying gear is $300 ($200 for a vice of a quality you'd want to use, $100 for misc).
$300/0.60 = 500 flies to break even, though that doesn't factor the opportunity cost of the time to tie. It only makes sense to tie if you really enjoy it and have the spare time.

[noreaster]

Both
Sometimes pattern complexity or materials will limit my tying
So I'll buy a few here and there. But I try to tie the bulk of what I fish

[newby]

I tie a lot of my flies that I fish with, but some patterns are just too daunting for me to tie at this point. I practice them occasionally and hope to eventually master them. For instance I am not very good at spinning deer hair (except for ugly spun deer hair carp flies) so I buy Dave's hoppers, muddler minnows, etc..... Those I get for $1 a piece at sportsman's warehouse or order online for less.

[thorsten]

Hello Fly Fishing Friends,

I tie about 95% of my flies, but sometimes I also buy some (mostly) streamers to get some new ideas respectively incitations.

[dillon]

I tie most of my own because I enjoy it. Some of my winter steelhead patterns take up to an hour. They are big marabou speys tied on tubes with finn racoon, or temple dog, arctic fox, rhea and lady amherst. I don't care if I lose one because that means I get to tie another while I nurse a dram of fine single malt whiskey. I could fish with flies that take a few minutes to tie but I get satisfaction from fishing a fly that pleases me. I also give several of them away to friends. I do buy a few flies in shops especially if I am traveling and asking for advice. I feel that I should buy something so I ask for a few small dry, local favorites. I will never purchase a fly sight unseen...

[ted4887]

Probably Duluth for you Dan... and that is a LONG haul.





I also tie all of my own flies. Not to save money, but just for a secondary hobby. I realized shortly after starting that I would probably never recoup the cost of the thousands of dollars in materials and tools I have laying around. It just won't happen. However, other than fishing there are few things I enjoy more than sitting at home on a chilly November night with a good beer, tying some flies.

When it comes to fly shops, I tend to spend my money on tying supplies I don't need, clothing, or rods. I don't think I've ever left a fly shop empty handed.

[comeonavs]

3 months in to tying I can tell you

1) 100% of nymphs,midges, emergers that I use going forward are coming off my vice
2) I haven't tied a dry fly yet and dont plan on it for a while. I love dry fly fishing but unfortunately nymphing seems to produce more consistently. Dont get me wrong I drool like an idiot waiting for August to come around to go hit the streams with nothing but a BWO / EHC / Adams pattern on me.

In all candor I have right at $1000 in to this hobby and the break even financially is years down the road. I don't have time to tie, I make time. I bring the vise out to the table and tie while watching football etc.

For that $1000 however I have at least 700 hooks, at least 30 different dubbins, 20 threads, 20 wires, 7 tinsels, the vice, the tools, 2500 beads , feathers, hackles, biots. I can tie nymphs for the next 5 years before I absolutely need anything.

From a financial standpoint I can tie a dang nice durable tungsten bead head fly for 30-40 cents. Eventually there will be a financial break even point but I don't really worry about that I am enjoying the process of learning how to do it and then catching fish on what Ive tied is really cool.

[nrp5087]

I've been tying for say maybe a year now. I usually fish for trout in PA so a simple dubbing on a size 14-18 caddis hook with a bead nymph is simple and cheap and works great or even the classic wolly bugger (my two favorites).

I will be expanding into dry flies soon as in the spring the streams come alive